Surgeons Cite Overcrowding as Main Cause of Delays

Surgical teams in major Kenyan hospitals are raising alarms over the impact of overcrowding on patient care, saying that excessive patient loads are a key reason why many vital operations are postponed or rescheduled. Surgeons at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) report that so many patients are now arriving—especially urgent referrals from surrounding counties—that theatre space and postoperative beds are stretched to breaking point.
According to surgical staff, this overcrowding leads to a cascade of challenges. Operating rooms are frequently booked beyond capacity, surgical lists are being adjusted every day, and patients often spend longer in recovery wards due to bed shortages. Some patients scheduled for surgery come from as far as 300 kilometres away—making it difficult for them to return home quickly and thereby blocking beds for other critical cases.
Clinicians say that this situation is especially dangerous for emergency surgeries. In one account, a patient with life-threatening abdominal symptoms was stabilized for hours before an available theatre slot cleared up—delays that experts fear could worsen outcomes, complicate recoveries, or even increase mortality risk. Moreover, some elective procedures are being deprioritised, particularly when preoperative beds are full, which frustrates patients and creates a bottleneck effect.
To address these issues, hospital administrators and surgical bodies are calling for structural reforms: more investment in theatre infrastructure, dedicated operating rooms for emergencies, stronger referral protocols to spread surgical load across counties, and better patient triage mechanisms. They also urge county governments to add more postoperative beds and expand recovery facilities. According to surgeons, if these interventions fail, the country will continue to see patients suffer from unnecessary delays in life-saving surgical care.